Bulls' Lonzo Ball Out for Season; Still Has Pain After Surgery on Knee Injury

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season, the team confirmed Tuesday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported the news, noting Ball continues to suffer from knee pain related to a pair of surgeries in 2022.

Ball, who has not played at all this season, underwent surgery to repair a torn left meniscus in January 2022 and then had a second arthroscopic knee surgery in September.

At the time of Ball's second surgery, Charania reported there was "confidence" the guard would be able to return at some point during the 2022-23 season after the procedure addressed the issues he experienced following his first surgery.

Instead, Ball is poised to miss the entire campaign after only playing 35 games last year because of his knee ailment.

The 25-year-old Ball was largely effective when he was on the court in 2021-22, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 three-pointers made and 1.8 steals per game, but he has now been out of action for over 13 months, having last played on Jan. 14, 2022.

After Ball spent two seasons each with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans on the heels of being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Bulls acquired him in a sign-and-trade with the Pels.

The Bulls signed him to a four-year, $80 million contract and had high hopes for him alongside Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but the organization has barely been able to get any return on its investment.

With Ball out, the Bulls have largely leaned on LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White and Alex Caruso in the backcourt, and that will continue to be the case for the remainder of the season.

The Bulls are also finalizing a deal with veteran guard and Chicago native Patrick Beverley, who will aim to replace some of the quality perimeter defense lost from being without Ball.

Chicago has struggled mightily as of late, losing six games in a row ahead of the All-Star break, leaving the Bulls with a 26-33 record on the season.

Despite the disappointing record, the Bulls are just two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the final postseason play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, and they have a chance to vie for a playoff position even without a key player like Ball in the equation.